In June 2019 I was told that I've got Blood Cancer.  There's no getting away from that and its taken me a while to come to terms with it but now I am raising money for a charity called Blood Cancer UK by "running" the London Marathon.

It was a routine doctors appointment where this all started.  I was complaining of a pain in my stomach and after some initial investigation, I went off for tests and scans. A week or so later, the pain had subsided so i assumed nothing was wrong until I was referred to the Hematology wing at my local hospital.  An enlarged spleen along with some abnormal blood test results prompted a consultancy session where  I was eventually diagnosed with a currently incurable form of Blood Cancer, MPN PV JAK-2.  

As like the majority of you, previously I was unaware of this condition but since the diagnosis in June 2019, it has become a dominant part of my life. 

Although mentally, the diagnosis of blood cancer and the introduction to my allocated MacMillan nurse has been hard to come to terms with, physically currently I'm perfectly fine (although overweight and unfit!) and with consistent careful management of my body, a health/fitness drive and regular treatment, my life expectancy should remain relatively unaffected.  Im lucky in a way because they have picked this up very early in me as usually this rare condition doesnt get identified until most sufferers reach their 60s.  There is a small chance that my condition could develop into Lukemia so I am determined to raise money for Blood Cancer UK and combat this cancer to prevent anything further from happening to me.

Blood cancer is the fifth most common cancer in the UK and while huge progress has been made in improving treatment since the 1960s, it is still the third biggest cause of UK cancer deaths – taking more lives each year than breast or prostate cancer. Even for those who survive, the long-term effects of treatment can be devastating.

Blood Cancer UK, who have become known to me since my diagnosis, are a charity run organisation that raise cash to fund research, a huge support network and to campaign for better treatments.  So please, dig deep and donate whatever you can as i crazily tackle the 2020 London Marathon in support of Blood Cancer UK.

Im determined to make this incurable cancer, curable.

Let the training commence...

Thank you

Alex